Our top five AIdriven healthcare apps

There are several reasons why these apps are so popular. We are already aware of the general benefits AI provides to healthcare: diagnosis improvement, treatment discovery, personalized health management, early disease detection, clinical decision support, optimized data analysis, alleviating demands on the healthcare workforce, and reducing healthcare inequalities by providing remote access to medical services . The list is endless. But with a global increase in app-based medical services, it is also important to consider the concerns that they may bring. In this article, we list some of our top picks, and consider the benefits and limitations of these AI-driven healthcare apps.

1. Ada

First up, we have Ada, a symptom assessment app. Forget googling your symptoms, you can turn to Ada instead. It works by asking simple questions about your symptoms and health. These answers are then analyzed by a deep learning tool to provide personalized health reports . Ada is a white box system, which means its decision-making process is transparent and ‘how’ and ‘why’ it makes certain health recommendations can be tracked by medical professionals . Pros

• Simplifies complex medical terms in understandable vocabulary
• Highest suggestion accuracy compared to other digital symptom assessment apps
• Available advice in 11 different languages
• Certified as an EU-MDR Class IIa medical device in Europe

Cons

• Paid plan
• Less accurate than healthcare professionals
• Still limited language options

2. WebMD

We know WebMD is a pretty common go to for checking out any worrying symptoms and arriving at a confident self-diagnosis. The WebMD website has been providing credible health information and news for decades now. The app is equally informative and easy to use, offering numerous features including allergy tracking, medication reminders, pill identification and options for booking doctor appointments. Using AI to analyze question responses regarding your symptoms, the app supplies you with a list of potential symptom causes, as well as relevant risk factors and available treatments . Pros

• Personalized for individual users' requirements
• Conveniently tracks health information and previous appointments
• Free to use

Cons

• Continual software updates
• Pro version requires payment

3. Headspace

Next up, we have Headspace, a meditation app. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all become much more aware of the importance of mental health and how it can affect every area of our lives. Meditation and mindfulness are some of the best ways to benefit both your mental well-being and overall health, by reducing stress and increasing self-awareness. That’s exactly the goal of Headspace: to teach users a lifelong skill of daily mindfulness. The app has numerous features, such as guided meditation techniques, breathing exercises for sleep, tips on how to form healthy habits, focus music, and sleep sounds such as the gentle lapping of beach waves . Pros

• Personalized meditation direction
• Time-efficient: sessions are ~10 minutes a day
• Studies have demonstrated that focus improves by 14% while stress reduces by 14% after just 10 sessions
• Large range of sessions
• Child-friendly options

Cons • Paid plan

4. Youper

Youper is another app for mental health. Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help treat people suffering with depression and anxiety, Youper’s AI chatbot guides users through voice journaling, meditation and various CBT activities . Pros

• Clinically validated AI
• Easy navigable
• Individualized treatment plans
• Range of subscription options, including medication management, therapy and coaching or a combination of both

Cons

• No free version
• Privacy protection – highly sensitive information is collected

5. Healthily

Last but not least we have Healthily, a self-care app, and the first medically approved self-care platform in the world. The app provides tailored health assessments, an AI-driven symptom checker, advice on self-care, and clear, medically verified information. Unfortunately, several studies have identified that a concerning number of people avoid going to the doctor or seeking out medical care for various reasons, such as embarrassment, lack of access and fear of discrimination. Healthily aims to reduce this number by providing informative and practical self-care guidance for 1 billion people . Pros

• Abundance of useful health information
• Gathers data from wearable devices that are synced with your phone
• Free

Cons

• Options for paid subscription plans

Be sure to get in touch if you have any queries about Future Medicine AI or are interested in publishing in the journal, please contact Commissioning Editor, Emma Hall (e.hall@future-science-group.com). Disclaimers:The opinions expressed in this feature are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Future Medicine AI Hub or Future Science Group.